CBD COP17
The International Climate Initiative (IKI) at the CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia (19 to 30 October 2026)
The 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) is a decisive moment in the global effort to implement the ambitious targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and to address the biodiversity crisis.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the world’s most far-reaching binding international agreement on conservation. 196 countries have signed it, committing to protect biological diversity and use natural resources in a way that keeps them available for future generations. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD is the highest-level political decision-making committee for the Convention and is typically held every two years.
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Important initiatives with IKI participation
The first global review of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) showed that, although a great deal has happened since 2022, efforts to date are not sufficient to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Further measures are now needed to ensure that the conservation and restoration of nature worldwide progress more rapidly and equitably. Other decisions involved the Gender Action Plan, the management of invasive species, knowledge management and the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, as well as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
The next UN Biodiversity Conference is set to take place in Ecuador in 2028.
The UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan delivered an honest assessment of progress. More areas are now protected, and destroyed natural environments are recovering in many places. But there is still a lot to do. Europe negotiated with a strong and united voice on behalf of nature. But others were reluctant to take on more responsibility, also in terms of funding. The negotiations were tough at times, but well worth the effort. Germany and many other partners around the world stand in solidarity with nature. After all, we cannot afford to treat the natural foundations of life carelessly. Germany remains a reliable partner and the largest donor to international nature conservation. We will continue our efforts to expand protected areas on land and at sea. The UN BBNJ Agreement will create significant new opportunities in the coming years for greater nature conservation in the most valuable areas of our oceans. But here in Germany, too, we will systematically tackle the restoration of our ecosystems. We are not only indebted to nature, we also need intact ecosystems for strong economies and healthy lives.
Key outcomes of the 17th UN Biodiversity Conference at a glance:
First global review of the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework
The international community has set itself ambitious targets with the Global Biodiversity Framework. At COP17, the first review and efforts to accelerate implementation were on the agenda. To get back on track by 2030, the international community must significantly step up the pace. The Yerevan Pathway, adopted at COP17, calls for action to be accelerated to meet the 2030 deadline. Initiatives like the Partnership for the Accelerated Implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP Accelerator Partnership), which Germany launched together with Colombia four years ago at COP15, are making an important contribution to reaching this goal. It has since become a key support mechanism for global nature conservation for 77 member countries.
More funding for global nature conservation
Funding for global nature conservation was once again a contentious issue in the negotiations. A solid foundation was laid to enable further decisions to be taken at the next UN Biodiversity Conference on the CBD's permanent financial mechanism and on securing more robust and reliable nature conservation funding. On the difficult question of how to persuade more countries to contribute to supporting the Least Developed Countries and Small Island States in particular, agreement was at least reached on a clear process to be followed in the run-up to COP18.
Empowering indigenous peoples and local communities
The negotiations on the interests of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) focused on giving greater consideration to their rights, knowledge and role in decision-making and in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. As key stakeholders in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, the aim is for IPLCs to be effectively involved in decision-making processes, and for the rights to their land and its use, and their traditional knowledge and governance systems, to be recognised. A key outcome of the negotiations in this area was the operationalisation of the new subsidiary body, already agreed at COP16, to strengthen the participation of IPLCs in CBD processes. In future, too, they will be represented as co-chairs and on the advisory board of the new subsidiary body. This will enable them to contribute their traditional knowledge not only to the implementation of the fund administered by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), but also to CBD processes. In addition, guidelines were adopted to strengthen the national recognition of Indigenous and Traditional Territories (ITTs).
Digital sequence information
The benefit-sharing mechanism for digital sequence information on genetic resources, which was operationalised at COP16, and its global fund, the Cali Fund, were further developed at COP17. The aim was to enable higher and more reliable contributions to the Cali Fund by providing more legal certainty and clarity. As the technical issues could not be definitively resolved due to difficult negotiations, this work will continue until the next Conference of the Parties. In the meantime, the Steering Committee will be able to issue certificates for contributions made by companies as part of a pilot phase.
How Germany contributes: IKI projects worldwide
Germany wants to actively advance the implementation of the GBF at COP17: The Federal Government is participating in the international negotiations and supporting other countries to meet their obligations. An important instrument for this is the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Through it, Germany funds projects around the globe that worldwide that strengthen the conservation of biodiversity in its partner countries while accelerating GBF implementation and supporting efforts to achieve global climate targets.
Working together on biodiversity conservation and climate action
Climate and biodiversity are inextricably linked. Climate change threatens biological diversity in many ways: heat waves, droughts, and heavy rainfall alter habitats, shift distribution ranges, and push species to the brink of extinction. At the same time, the loss of biological diversity makes ecosystems more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change—intact forests break the force of storms, peatlands hold back floods, and mangroves protect coasts from storm surges. The more these ecosystems are weakened, the less protection they offer.
The IKI funds projects that tackle the problem on multiple fronts: they conserve biological diversity, help ecosystems adapt to climate change, and contribute to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This includes, among other things, the restoration of landscapes that simultaneously sequester carbon and provide habitat for endangered species—such as wetlands, including peatlands that are being rewetted, or forests that are being reforested. Likewise, the IKI supports sustainable land use that combines the conservation of biological diversity and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions within a single project.
A central tool for this are the so-called Nature-based Solutions (NbS): measures that use the power of nature to address climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously. Specifically, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) describes them in its Resolution 5.2 as actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified ecosystems, which address societal, economic, and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.
Depending on which goal is in the foreground, two main directions are distinguished. If the focus is on adapting to the impacts of climate change, it is referred to as "NbS for Adaptation," or Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). An example: the protection and reforestation of mangrove forests on coasts threatened by storm surges and storms. If the focus is on mitigating greenhouse gases, it is called "NbS for climate change mitigation." An example: the restoration of forests or the rewetting of wetlands, including peatlands, to store carbon permanently.
Selected IKI project
- Climate Resilience for Critical Sites for Migratory Birds and People along the East Atlantic Flyway
- Wise use of Caribbean wetlands for climate change mitigation and conservation of their ecosystem services
- Living Lakes - Strategies to protect the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems
- Securing crucial biodiversity, carbon and water stores in the Congo Basin Peatlands by enabling evidence based decision making and good governance.
- Strengthening the blue economy of the Western Indian Ocean
- Kwale - Tanga Coast - Transboundary conservation and sustainable management of coastal and marine biodiversity
- Global Nature-based Solutions Navigator
It is precisely this link between climate action and biodiversity protection that makes Nature-based Solutions so effective: they contribute to jointly achieving the goals of the GBF and the Paris Climate Agreement—while strengthening sustainable development in the partner countries.
Supporting indigenous peoples and local communities
Many indigenous peoples and local communities have preserved their habitats for generations. Their traditional knowledge and the methods they use to protect and manage their territories are increasingly being recognised. Conserving biodiversity and restoring ecosystems will only succeed if IPLCs help shape nature conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity as equal actors. Following the introduction of the subsidiary body on IPLCs at the last conference, further progress is to be achieved at CBD COP17.
Germany is therefore committed to giving even greater recognition to the contributions of IPLCs to biodiversity conservation, strengthening their effective and full participation in the implementation of the global biodiversity agreement, and ensuring their access to finance as well as the link to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The IKI supports IPLCs in their role as key actors in the management of protected areas, among other things. This refers to the so-called ICCAs—territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities. These areas make up around 32 percent of the global land area and cover at least 36 percent of the world’s most biologically diverse areas. These areas are often better preserved than comparable areas under state management.
Selected IKI projects
- Transformative pathways: indigenous peoples and local communities leading and scaling up conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
- Global ICCA Support Initiative 30 x 30
- Living amazonian landscapes: co-management model among indigenous communities for the effective conservation, protection and recovery of amazonian territories
- Strengthening the blue economy of the Western Indian Ocean
Overview: IKI-related events at the CBD COP17
This calendar provides an overview of IKI-related events taking place at CBD COP17. The calendar is constantly updated and does not claim to be exhaustive. The organisers are responsible for the information provided.
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Tuesday 20 October 2026
Connecting Knowledge and Data to Strengthen National Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting of the Global Biodiversity Framework
Join us at CBD COP-17 on 20 October to see how tools, technical support and peer learning can strengthen national biodiversity monitoring.
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Tuesday 20 October 2026
30x30 in Action: Connecting Communities to Strengthen Ocean Conservation in the Southeast Pacific through RAMPAS”
Strengthening Southeast Pacific ocean conservation through regional connectivity, community links, and integration of traditional and local knowledge.
10/20/2026 - On site in Yerevan Details 30x30 in Action: Connecting Communities to Strengthen Ocean Conservation in the Southeast Pacific through RAMPAS” -
Tuesday 20 October 2026
Dialogue on the Yerevan Biodiversity Finance Challenge
A strategic discussion on practical pathways to implement KMGBF Targets 18 and 19 through the upcoming Yerevan Biodiversity Finance Challenge.
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Tuesday 20 October 2026
Enabling Nature-based Solutions for Global Biodiversity Framework action and reporting: Launch of the Global NbS Navigator
From commitments to delivery: Learn how the Global NbS Navigator project will help countries plan, track, finance and report NbS for the GBF
10/20/2026 - online and on site in Yerevan Details Enabling Nature-based Solutions for Global Biodiversity Framework action and reporting: Launch of the Global NbS Navigator -
Tuesday 20 October 2026
RAMPAS: Regional Cooperation for Ocean Health: Bridging Science, Policy, and Finance for Effective Conservation.
Regional cooperation can transform global biodiversity commitments into coordinated actions
10/20/2026 - On site in Yerevan Details RAMPAS: Regional Cooperation for Ocean Health: Bridging Science, Policy, and Finance for Effective Conservation.
IKI funding
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